Text Message Communications
If you would like to receive text messages from JFK, type “Y” or “Yes” to 67587. While we don’t use “bulk” text messages often, you don’t want to miss them for a snow day, for example. Families must opt in to receive text messages.
Bulk messaging to the whole school actually goes out on a per student basis. If you have three students at JFK, you get the same message three times. It’s probably a “better safe than sorry” scenario, however. Would you rather sign up for text messaging and get three messages saying school is cancelled due to weather or none at all?
Love Us
Vote for JFK on Locals Love Us for Private schools, preschools, and childcare: https://localsloveus.com/quad-cities/
JFK Pride on the Drive
Did you see the sample of a JFK logo on the sidewalk by the school? Want one for your own driveway? Check out the flyer, or view it on the JFK Facebook page for more information.
Calendars
Multiple calendars are available on our website, www.olvjfk.com. On the school side of the website, a one-page summary calendar is on the front page. Detailed calendars can also be reached by clicking on the calendars heading toward the upper right corner of the website. Use these detailed calendars, for example, to check when your child’s K-8 parent meeting is scheduled. Anything underlined on the calendar can be clicked on, and more details will open for you.
Mock Trial Sign-Up
Mock Trial sign up is underway for students in 6th-8th grades. Use the following link to sign up your student: Mock Trial Sign Up
Dress Code
With a couple of weeks of school already past, dress code violations rather than reminders will probably start to pick up. The usual situations seem to be present this year: too many reminders to tuck in shirts, boys without belts, and girls with skirts/shorts that are too short.
ALICE/Run-Hide-Fight Training for Kids
As part of our regular safety procedures, teachers talk to students about ALICE, which is an acronym used to help people remember what to do in the event of a violent situation in a school. We also use the Run-Hide-Fight phrasing. The materials we’ve used/developed over the years and the approaches we take are targeted for specific grade strands as what one says and does with three-year-olds in preschool is entirely different than with 13-year-olds in 8th grade. Our work with ALICE complements our other conversations and drills, such as those for fire or tornado/inclement weather.
PS Through Age 12 Aftercare and Wraparound Care/ECLC
After school care and wrap around care/ECLC are licensed by the Department of Health & Human Services and provide supervised activities for students who have not yet turned thirteen. The preschool wrap around rate is included in your tuition bill for either full-time (20 hours or more) or part-time care (less than 20 hours). There is an hourly rate for K through age 12. A childcare registration form is required for each student. Below are the links to the forms needed:
Preschool Wraparound Care forms
PS-8 Immunization Records
Preschoolers, kindergartners and other students new to JFK need to provide evidence of immunizations prior to school beginning. There are also two boosters, TDaP and meningococcal conjugate vaccine, required for 7th graders prior to school beginning. We can accept faxed or emailed copies. Iowa law says that students cannot be enrolled without up-to-date immunization information provided to the school, and schools must exclude students without proper immunizations. There are minimal exceptions. Those interested in religious exemptions should note that because the Catholic Church does not object to immunizations, a religious exemption for Catholics should not be possible.
PE Uniform for 5th-8th Grades
Fifth-8th graders wear their PE clothes rather than their school uniform on days when they have PE. The PE uniform must be purchased from the school identified vendor, Empowering Abilities (formerly known as Handicapped Development Center): http://handicappeddevelopment.org/jfk/
Water Bottles Must Be Able to be Sealed/Closed
Due to how often students move about the building and classrooms, as well as other issues experienced last spring, students’ water bottles must be able to be sealed/closed. Large mugs with straws sticking out are not water bottles and should be left home. Students are encouraged to have water bottles at school. We added one more bottle filling station this summer and now have four throughout the building.
Two Open Support Positions at JFK
We currently have two open support positions at JFK. Not only this staffing shortage, but the numbers in aftercare are taxing our staff. I saw the other week that the DCSD has the same issue and has “paused” their after-school programs for McKinley and Truman. JFK is not quite at that point yet, but support staff are just as important as teachers, and open positions puts stress on everyone.
Instructional aide/support position: Working primarily with preschool children in wraparound care and/or kindergarten through age 12 students in aftercare. About 37 hours per week, $13.50 per hour.
- 10:25-5:30 on Mondays and Fridays
- 7:10-4:30 on Tuesdays
- 9:15-5:30 on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Instructional aide/support position and lunch program worker: Working to help in the lunch program, supervise several recesses along with other staff and supervise kindergarten through age 12 students in aftercare. About 38 hours per week, $13.50 per hour.
- 9:15-5:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays
- 10:00-5:30 Tuesdays
- 8:30-5:30 on Wednesdays
If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.
Substitutes: Needed for both long-term assignments (like maternity leaves) and short-term assignments (like when a teacher needs to stay home with his/her own sick child). Although a teaching degree is the most ideal qualification, you do not need one to work as a substitute. A bachelor’s/associate’s/60 hrs of college course work meets the educational qualifications. The process to become a substitute teacher includes completion of a 15-20 hour workshop, multiple background checks, and applications with the Iowa Board of Education Examiners and JFK. The easiest way to progress toward the teaching authorization license is to take the self-paced online course. We would also like to thank our current substitutes: Kayla Mason, Jen Kira, Diana Longenecker, and Thomas Day.
Parking Lot Traffic Patterns
It’s not too early to review the parking lot traffic patterns. A few reminders are below:
- Proceed SLOWLY and cautiously through every location. Little kids are hard to see by cars. What one makes up in time by speeding through the lot will matter little if someone is hit by a car!
- Be attentive to your driving. Talking on a cell phone, even handsfree, can be a distraction when one’s attention is needed most to watch for kids and pedestrians.
- Only use handicapped parking spots if qualified. Handicapped parking spots are reserved for those who need them throughout the entire day, including morning drop off, mid-day pre-school pick up and drop off, and pick up at the end of the day. We reserve one of our handicapped spots, in particular, for wheelchair access for a student.
- Accompany younger students to/from the barriers, if you park in the lot and are not using the drive-through lanes. Parents who are standing and waiting for their little ones should stand on the school side of the barriers. All children should be supervised. Pets should not be among the children.
A photo of the parking lot patterns can be found using the following link: Parking lot traffic patterns
- Red arrows are the drop off/pick up zones. Note that the main one is at the north, but there is also one that can be used at the south.
- Blue arrows are the one-way pick-up lanes.
- Orange arrows are one-way lanes.
- Green arrows indicate where traffic goes in both directions.
- Note that in some areas there are two lanes going in the same direction: one lane is just driving through (orange arrows) and the other lane is the pick up lane leading to the drop off/pick up zone (blue and red arrows).
Chad
