I’m So Blessed!
On Friday, I had my final three-month check up after my prostate surgery in November 2021. With another clear PSA test, I am now moving to a six month check up schedule. September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, and 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. I had no symptoms when I received my diagnosis. If it hadn’t been for a PSA test for my regular physical, I would not have caught my illness at such at an early stage. Don’t put off your physical!
Halfway through Quarter
The halfway point of the first quarter was Friday. If you cannot access your child’s grades through PowerSchool, please reach out to Dianne Siefers at dianne.siefers@olvjfkmail.com. A bulk email regarding how to set up the accounts correctly was sent from SCCS a couple of weeks ago, and Ms. Siefers sent another message last week to families who did not receive the first message. For more detailed information about the grades themselves, please contact your child’s teacher(s).
NET Retreats for 7th/8th Graders & Housing Needed
NET team members will conduct retreats for 7th and 8th graders again this year. The retreat is on Saturday, October 7th. NET team members come from all across the country and are trained and based out of the Diocese of Minneapolis. These 8-12 young adults combine social interactions, skits, music, prayer, and discussion to create a powerful religious experience for students.
Want to extend the experience even more for your student? We are in need of host families for the NET team members on the evening of Friday, October 6, 2023. Hosts are requested to house a minimum of two up and up to seven team members of the same gender. The NET team members will have sleeping bags, mats, pillows, towels and toiletries and are fine with sleeping on the floor, couches or air mattresses. They do request shower access. Please consider opening your home to these exceptional young people providing this ministry. Contact Kaye Meyers, davolvcre@diodav.org, if you are able to provide a space. Host families often gain much from the presence of these energetic, faith-filled young people! You do not need a 7th or 8th grader to host NET team members either.
SCCS counselors are preparing for a Parent University session on internet and social media safety to be held October 3rd in the Carroll Lab at AHS from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Nearly every issue at schools seems to be tied into cell phones and social media. Schools can only do so much, and we often can only deal with the fall out. Come to the parent university session and find out what parents can do. Former Davenport officer Hank Jacobsen will be the featured speaker. He can share his perspectives as an officer and an SCCS parent.
ESA Work Still Needed by Some?
There are multiple steps to utilizing an ESA:
- Apply to the state through Odyssey and have one’s application be accepted. The deadline for the application was June 30th.
- Go back into Odyssey to identify the school for which you want your ESA to be applied. If parents don’t do this step, we have no idea that they have been accepted for an ESA.
- SCCS or the school will then “verify” that the student will be attending the school and assign tuition
- Go back into Odyssey to accept the tuition. Without this step, money will not go to SCCS.
Steps 2 and 3 are just as critical as step 1. The deadline for steps 2 and 3 is prior to September 30th. If not completed by September 30th, the ESA is forfeited, and parents will have to pay the entire tuition bill themselves.
If you have questions, please contact Rose Strickland at the SCCS business office at AHS: rose.strickland@sccsiowa.org or 563-326-5313. No one at JFK has access to your account information in Blackbaud.
Calendar Highlights
Here are just a few items highlighted from the detailed online school calendar:
- Sept 28: Picture retake/makeups
- Sept 29: No buses (The DCSD is not in session). JFK Pumpkin Patch Night at Pride of the Wapsi
- Oct 9: No school. ECLC is open
Open Positions at JFK for 2023-24
JFK still has open positions for 2023-24:
Instructional aide/support position: Follow the same work calendar as your children’s school calendar. We are looking for a “jack of all trades” person to help in preschool, supervise recesses, provide instructional support, and care for students in aftercare and/or wrap-around care. On some days, one might start as early as 7:10, and, on other days, one might work until 5:30. The total is about 39 hours per week, and the rate is $12 per hour. Summers are off, and most other breaks also follow the same schedule as your children! If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.
Instructional aide positions: Help teachers and provide instructional support for students in K-8. Multiple positions are available. If interested, please send me a cover letter, resume, and references, and/or stop by the school office for an application.
Substitutes: Substitutes are always 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). You do not need a teaching degree to work as a substitute. A minimum of an associate’s degree may be enough to qualify. 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. Workshops are being held almost every week throughout the state, and many of them are virtual so geography does not need to be a limiting factor. If you are interested in being a substitute, please contact me and/or the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency at 563-359-1371. We would also like to thank our current substitutes: Kayla Mason, Jen Kira, Amy Jackson, and Dianne Longenecker.
Open Lunch Position(s) at AHS and All Saints
Part-time help is needed to help serve lunches at Assumption and/or All Saints. Approximately 12-15 hours per week while the kids are at school. The day starts after drop drop off and is finished before pick up. All school holidays are observed. No experience is necessary. Please contact Nikki Gartner to discuss further: nikki.gartner@sccsiowa.org or 563-326-5313 ext 203
Handbook Sign-Off
Please read the parent and student handbook, available HERE, and on our website: https://www.olvjfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/JFK-K-8-Parent-Handbook-2023-24.pdf Then, print off the last page, sign it, and return it to the school office — one per family. Thank you for helping us to reduce our printing costs.
