🆕New/Updated Information
No Classes, No ECLC on Oct 5th
There are no classes on October 5th. ECLC is also closed for the staff inservice.
Reading and Math Screening Results Mailed This Week
Results of the fall reading and math screening assessments will be mailed this week. On the letters will also be the raw ISASP scores for reading and math from the spring. The ISASP was revised last year, however, and the new norms have not yet been released. Hopefully, in November, the Iowa Department of Education will release how the scores are to be interpreted.
PS Vision Screening
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be partnering with the Lions’ Club for vision screening for preschoolers.
Ronald McDonald House Out of Uniform Fundraiser
For a $2 or more donation, students may be out of uniform on Friday if they wear red or yellow. Out of uniform guidelines apply.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Don’t forget to sign up for a time for parent/teacher conferences in PS-5th grade. Links were emailed last week to families. Sixth-8th grade conferences are drop-in. Conferences are on Tuesday, October 13th from 5:00-7:30 p.m. On Thursday, October 15th, they are from 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 4:00-8:00 p.m. There are no classes on October 15th and 16th. ECLC is open.
On October 13th, PS-5th grade teachers will be in their classrooms. On October 15th, PS-5th grade conferences will be on the lower level due to the installation of new lockers upstairs. Teachers who do not have a classroom on the lower level will be in the parish center. Sixth-8th grade and specials teachers will be in the cafeteria on both days.
No Buses on Oct 19th
There is no bus service on Monday, October 19th. The DCSD is not in session.
JFK Wins Summer Reading Trophy
JFK students have earned the Davenport Summer Reading Program private school trophy for the second consecutive year! Librarian Julie Baker accepted the award at the September 23rd Davenport City Council meeting, joined by students Nolan C and Finnley B.
JFK also had an individual winner. Eighth grader Maggie C. won the city-wide teen summer reading contest, earning an opportunity to work with the Davenport Public Library staff to select new books for the library’s teen collection.
Congratulations to all of our students who kept reading throughout the summer!
Wearable Communication Devices
You may have noticed JFK staff members wearing a small device clipped to their shirts or lanyards. These are Vocera communication devices, which allow staff to quickly contact the office or one another from anywhere in the building.
Whereas classroom phones are stationary, these voice-activated devices go wherever staff members go. Don’t remember the phone extension for Mrs. Beard? Just say her name. Want to make an announcement to just middle school teachers? Just say the group name. Need to contact office staff immediately? Just hit the panic button.
The Vocera system is another tool in our arsenal for creating a safe and secure environment at JFK.
The Vocera system was funded through a grant from the Scott County Regional Authority (Bettendorf riverboat) and OLV.
📌Still Relevant
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures
Here is the map for JFK’s drop-off and pick-up procedures. This map also adds a visual reminder in locations where drive through drop-off and pick-up should NOT take place. Thank you for your attentiveness to the procedures in our parking lot, and always proceed slowly and cautiously through every location.
Individual Snacks and Snacks/Treats to Share from Approved Snack List
Snacks must be from the approved snack list. This includes both individual snacks and snacks/treats to share with the whole class. The updated list also shares some of the criteria used to determine the snack list.
Receive Text Messages from JFK
If you would like to receive text messages from JFK, type “Y” or “Yes” to 67587. Families must opt in to receive text messages.
Save the Date: “Made for More: Visions of the Promised Land”
OLV is hosting the multimedia event, “Made for More: Visions of the Promised Land,” featuring national author/speaker Christopher West and musician Mike Mangione on Thursday, November 12, 2026 from 7:00-9:30 pm in the church. Cost is $30 per person.
This program explores life, love, and human destiny through the lens of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. It weaves together live music, spoken word, sacred art, and video clips into a reflective multimedia experience. CLICK HERE for a video clip.
Altar Servers Needed
Sign your student up to altar serve at a weekend Mass.
I-Ready Math Requirements
I-Ready use can help your child’s math skills.
I-Ready provides personalized math lessons online based on each student’s needs. Students use I-Ready for at least 30 minutes per week at school, enough to complete at least one lesson. Unfinished lessons will be assigned as homework.
Students who are not proficient in math based upon screeners or ISASPs will also be required to use I-Ready outside of school hours, reinforcing the school/home partnership. All students may complete additional lessons at home.
Checking Students’ Grades and Missing Work
Use the instructions below to check in-progress standards grades, missing assignments, and Assumption Algebra grades in PowerSchool. Directions are included for both the computer portal and app.
Please note:
- Some features are only available on a computer.
- Ignore the “Grades disabled by school” message. It does not apply to our standards-referenced grades.
📚Learning Habits Matter
Are We Becoming a Post-Literate Society?
What if we remain able to read, but lose the habit of reading?
A new book caught my attention this week after hearing a discussion about George Will’s recent column, “A Grim Prognosis for the Post-Literate Future.” Will’s column examines The New Dark Ages: The Death of Reading and the Dawn of the Post-Literate Society, a new book by James Marriott.
Marriott’s premise is provocative. He isn’t arguing that people can no longer read. Rather, he argues that we may be moving toward a “post-literate society”—one in which most people can read, but fewer regularly engage in sustained, complex reading.
His concern goes beyond reading fewer books. Marriott argues that smartphones, social media, short-form video, and the constant stream of digital content are changing how we consume information. Sustained reading requires concentration, reflection, and working through complexity. In contrast, much of our digital world rewards speed, brevity, and quickly moving on to something else. Marriott calls the result a “Great Simplification” — a culture increasingly accustomed to information that is brief, immediate, and easily consumed, and less accustomed to the sustained attention and complexity that reading demands.
That idea caught my attention as an educator. We spend considerable time thinking about whether students can read. We also need to consider whether they are developing the ability to stay with something difficult, think deeply, make connections, and explain their reasoning.
I haven’t read the book yet, and reviewers disagree about how well Marriott supports his broader claims. But the question behind the book seems worth considering: What if we remain able to read, but lose the habit of reading—and with it, some of our capacity for sustained, reflective thought?
Source: George F. Will, “A Grim Prognosis for the Post-Literate Future,” The Washington Post, September 30, 2026.
🗓️ Highlighted Events
Multiple calendars are available at www.jfkcatholic.org/. A one-page summary calendar is on the school homepage, with detailed calendars available under Calendars at the top of the website. Click any underlined event for more information. Below are a few highlighted events:
- Oct 5: Inservice. No classes. ECLC closed.
- Oct 9: Out of uniform fund-raiser
- Oct 13: Parent/teacher conferences
- Oct 15: Parent/teacher conferences. No classes. ECLC open. Dine & Donate for Portillos
- Oct 16: No classes. ECLC open.
- Oct 19: No buses
- Oct 20: H & S. 7th Choir to SAU.
- Oct 22: 7th Choir to SAU. Jump for JFK @ Funstation
- Oct 26: 7th to AHS.
- Oct 27: Coffee & Crumb Fundraiser.
- Oct 30: Black/Orange Dress Day. End of 1st Qtr. 2 Hr Early Dismissal. No 4/5 YO PS Classes. Trunk/Treat
💭Personal Sharing
Lynn and I will be off to the Atlanta area later this week for our oldest daughter’s wedding. I’ve got my father-of-the-bride speech ready to go, and travel food has been purchased!
I’m not sure if I’ll have a Principal’s Post next weekend. That’s be highly unusual. Once the school year starts, there’s only about 2-3 weekends without a Principal’s Post: Christmas break and spring break.
Chad