principal’s page · 2019-11-11 · november growth mindset saying: all things are difficult...
TRANSCRIPT
November Growth Mindset Saying: All things are difficult before they are easy.
PRINCIPAL’S PAGE
November 2019
I want to take this opportunity to share just a few of the many things for which I am thankful for with you. I am thankful for the children who come to school every day ready to learn. They are a daily reminder of what is important and why John F. Kennedy Catholic School is here. I am thankful for our Priests, Deacons, teachers, teacher aides, secretary, and support staff who really care about the students. I am also thankful for our volunteers who enthusiastically contribute so much to make our school successful.
Most importantly, I am thankful for the parents who believe in a Catholic school education and have faith in the JFK staff. You continue to share your most valuable possession with us and—in most cases— work hard and advocate to be a partner in your children’s faith development, education, safety and well-being. For this, I am ever so thankful. I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. May God continue to bless you abundantly!
The students and staff of
John F. Kennedy Catholic
School would like to thank our
families who currently serve
or have served in the Armed
Services. We will honor all
Veterans at the school mass
on November 8th at 8:15am.
Thank you for your service!
As we celebrate All Saints Day on November 1st
and All Souls Day on November 2nd, let us treasure
the wonderful example given to us by all the saints,
family members and friends who have gone before
us and who now enjoy the fullness of God’s love.
John F. Kennedy Gala “A Frozen Extravaganza” There is still time to purchase Gala Tickets and non-attending Gala tickets for the event on Saturday, November 9th. The non-attending ticket allows you to bid on items in the SILENT Auction only and it costs just $20.00. Many of the classroom projects, teacher events as well as sports tickets, dinner packages, and many other items are available for you to bid on. Be sure to read the enclosed information for teacher events and see pictures of the classroom projects. Please return the non-attending order form asap. Checks should be made payable to: John F. Kennedy Catholic. Your participation will help ensure another successful Gala fundraiser.
There is still time to purchase Gala Tickets and Non Attending Gala tickets for the event on Saturday, November 9th. The
Parent Teacher Conferences: Parent-Teacher Conferences will be help on Tuesday, November 5th from
1:00 -6:45pm for parents of students in grades kindergarten -8th grade. If you have
multiple children do not sign up for back to back appointments because you will need
time to travel. The conference is mandatory for all parents. The teachers will discuss the
Iowa test results with you as well as address any other concerns. Each conference will
last for 10 minutes. It is extremely important for the teachers to remain on schedule so
waiting parents are not inconvenienced. If you feel you need additional conference
times, please contact the teacher via email.
Directions for signing up of your conference through Option C are attached. If you have any questions setting
up your conferences, call the school office.
Iowa Assessments: The Iowa Assessments are
achievement tests that assess students’ Reading,
Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies
skills. The test results are in and over the next several
weeks we will be analyzing this data. The data
management system for the assessment has many
reports which can be customized for each class, grades
and the entire school.
Results from this assessment will be used to drive
instruction and improve students’ learning. Achievement
tests help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses.
The principal and the teachers will use this information to
monitor students’ growth, provide instructional grouping
data and improve instruction. This data will allow us to
make judgements on past and future instructional
strategies and be used for placement decisions.
The teachers have been in serviced in order to
understand and explain the results to the parents. I
believe you will find the report very informative and easy
to understand.
Weather Closing and Delays: If inclement
weather or some other emergency requires
that the school be delayed, closed, or
dismissed early, you will receive a phone
call from the Option C automated call
system. This information will also be
announced on the KDKA television station.
The Before Care program will be available
beginning at 7:00M.
Fees: 1Hour 2 Hours 3 Hours
Monday- Friday
1st Child $6.00 $4.00 ($10.00)
$3.00 ($13.00)
2 or more children
$4.00 ($10.00
$3.00 ($13.00)
$3.00 ($16.00)
John F. Kennedy Catholic School Advisory Council: The JFK School Advisory Council held its first meeting
on October 22, 2019. The Advisory Council is a body consisting of voting members appointed by the Pastor.
Members are appointed for a one or two-year term. The Pastor, Principal and Business Manager are ex-officio
members.
The Officers are President: Mike Chaido, Vice President: Betsy Moore, Secretary: Jill Startare. The board
members are Gabriel Almeida, Maureen Baker, Rick Bell, Justin Bieranoski, Michael Chaido, Amanda Coffman,
Christine Coyle, Nicole Dalnoky, Matt Douglass, Alan Jutca, Meredith Liddle, Betsy Moore, John Rieg, Rebecca
Ruffing, Jill Startare, Jill Stiehler, and James Weaver.
The following committees were created and the members are:
Fundraising: Chairs: Nicole Dalnoky and Jim Weaver, Members: Justin Bieranoski, Alan Jutca, and Betsy
Moore Marketing/Enrollment: Chairs: Amanda Coffman and Meredith Liddle, Members: Betsy Moore, John
Rieg, Jill Startare, School Building Improvements: Chairs: Rick Bell and Gabriel Almeida, Members Matt
Douglass and Rebecca Ruffing
We are looking for ad hoc members for each of the 3 committees. If you are interested, please contact the school
office or the chairs.
Food Drive: Our school will be collecting nonperishable food items for the Little Sisters of the Poor during the
week of November 18th -21st. We are asking each class to send in specific items to provide the food bank
with a wide variety of nonperishable goods.
Your generosity for those in need is greatly
appreciated.
The students will
present their
food items
before mass on
Friday,
November 22nd.
See the table for
the items we are
asking for from each grade. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Volunteer Hours
Chairperson Email Fundraisers Chair person
Recess Brianne Thomas [email protected] Football Pool
Amanda Coffman Jill Startare
[email protected] [email protected]
Cafeteria Brianne Thomas [email protected] Magazine Laurie Bodart [email protected]
SCRIP Brianne Thomas [email protected] SCRIP Brianne Thomas [email protected]
Coaching Sue Dunn [email protected] Hoagie Sale Liz Ondrejko [email protected]
Festival Laurie Bodart [email protected] Walk -a-thon Susan Ondrejko
Hoagie Sale Liz Ondrejko [email protected] Golf Outing
Magazines Laurie Bodart [email protected]
Preschool and Kindergarten:
Canned Goods: vegetables, tuna, chicken, soup
1st ,2nd and 3rd Grade
Boxed Items: Non sugar cereal, rice, cake mix, spaghetti, pancake mix, bread crumbs
4th, and 5th, and 6th Grade
Paper Products and Cleaning Items: tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, plastic wrap, foil, Clorox wipes, laundry detergent, dish detergent
7th and 8th Grade Condiments: Ketchup, sauce, pickles, relish, mayo, mustard
John F. Kennedy Goal Tracker: The JFK Goal Tracker is an online website which is available for you to
check both volunteer and fundraising assessments. You received a password and a user ID at the beginning of
the school year. You should have changed your password upon entering this site. Please save your new
password. You will need it throughout the school year. This information will allow you to see a detailed report
of your assessments. You must check your quarterly statements. You will have 2 weeks after the report cards
are issued to notify the chairperson if your information on the site is incorrect. No changes will be made after
November 21st. The website address is jfkcatholicgoaltracker.com
All questions should be directed to the chairperson of the event or fundraiser. Here is a list of chairpersons for
the 1st nine-week events and fundraisers. Please use the chart below for additional contact information.
Fundraising Summary: The fundraising summary for the 1st nine-week period will be web blasted in the
next few weeks. The information on this report will keep you abreast of our profits from each event or
fundraiser. Please review the information on this financial report. You will notice our fundraising
assessment for the 2019 -2020 school year is $200,000.00. Please continue to support the JFK
fundraisers and events as you are able. In order to have a balanced school budget we must meet this
assessment. Thank you for all your efforts thus.
On Friday, October 4th, the students celebrated the Feast of St Francis of Assisi during mass and at the Annual Pet Blessing. Many of the children brought their pets to the school gazebo to be blessed. St. Francis’s love for animals as expressed in his Canticle of Creatures. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals. Children were excited to bring their dogs, cats, crabs, guinea pigs, chickens, rabbits and goats to the blessing service. Some children brought their favorite stuffed animals. Father John and Father George performed the blessing of the animals and the Middle School cantors sang. It was a beautiful experience for all.
Student Council: I would like to introduce the JFK Student Council for 2019 – 2020school year. This organization will be raising funds for the American Cancer Society. I look forward to working with our student government this year.
President-Ben Papson First Vice-President-Keegan Kosek
Second Vice-President-Ayla Altman Treasurers-Abby Bodart & Seamus Coyle
Corresponding Secretary-Clare Ruffing Recording Secretary-George Coyle
8th Grade Reps.-Anand Karamcheti & Ben Ondrejko 7th Grade Reps.-Abby Higgins & Ava Coffman
6th Grade Reps.-Landon Dalnoky & Micha Marianna 5th Grade Reps.-Cooper Cincinnati & Ava Thomas
The John F. Kennedy Cross Country teams
competed in the South Hills Invitational Event at
Youthtowne on September 28th with 12 other teams
from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The Varsity boys team
earned the 1st place spot and our Varsity girls placed
3rd in the meet. Congratulations to our amazing
runners! We are very proud of your hard work.
Congratulations to our JFK Volleyball teams for a great season. Thank you to our
coaches Erinn Altman, Betsy Moore, and Frank Moyer for teaching our children not
only the skills of the game but also good sportsmanship.
JV Gold worked hard this year learning the
game and developing their skills. We look
for great things form this team
The JV Green volleyball team competed in the Diocesan Elite 8
competition on Sunday, October 27th at Oakland Catholic High
School. The girls did a great job but came up short and were
defeated by Divine Mercy Academy.
The Varsity girls team also made the playoff. They lost in the 2nd
round to St Louise. Great job, ladies!
Looking for some exciting new activities for your children to participate in? JFK is offering some awesome
extracurricular activities for our children.
Golf Program: Join the fun at TGA'S after-school junior golf program on Wednesdays at JFK Catholic
School on January 8, 15, 22 and 29. All golf equipment is provided! Students currently in kindergarten through
sixth grade are eligible to participate. Your child will learn the life-long sport of golf in a fun & positive manner
coupled with active engagement in educational concepts, life-skills & etiquette inherent to this global game.
Junior golfers improve with each subsequent class as he/she is coached through the program’s five
progressive skill levels.
MATHCOUNTS: MATHCOUNTS is a non-profit
organization that provides engaging math programs to
students of all ability levels in order to build confidence and
improve attitudes towards math and problem solving.
Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which
their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of
mathematics must be overcome. MATHCOUNTS provides
students with the kinds of experiences that foster growth and transcend fear to lay a foundation for future
success. years.
MATH COUNTS is for students in 6th -8th grade. We follow the MATHCOUNTS handbook. The problems are
a mix of Geometry, Number Theory, Algebra, Statistics, Probability, Percents, Fractions and Sequences. The
math level ranges from 6th to 10th grade. There will be two competitions. The club moderators are Christine
Coyle and Paula Matthews.
J.F.K. Math Club: New to JFK School this year for grades 3rd-8th is the JFK Math Club. Math club is a
mathematics enrichment program. Children will develop mathematical skills, gain confidence in their
mathematical abilities, increase their enjoyment of mathematics, and improve their ability to work with others.
The club instructors are Chrissy Coyle, Lauren Hone and Paula Matthews. The club will meet the STEAM
room (Grade School 203) each Monday beginning on Nov. 11th from 2:30 - 3:30. Pick up is on Spruce Street at
3:30pm.