Welcome to Newman Catholic School

Dear Parent/Guardian,                               
                                       
The Archdiocese of Dubuque and Newman Catholic School are pleased to once again provide tuition assistance to qualifying families through the Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future School Tuition Organization (STO). This program, supported by over 1,000 donors provides expanded opportunities to help qualifying families afford the Catholic School of their choice.

Tuition assistance through the Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO is available to all families whose 2009 taxable income is at or below 300% of the federally determined poverty rate. That table is found at the end of this letter.

Newman Catholic School also has local funding to provide tuition assistance over and above the Archdiocesan program thus providing supplementary tuition assistance to the STO program. Our local assistance program is open to all locally qualifying families, not just those eligible for the Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO.

Both the Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO and Newman will be utilizing Private School Aid Services (PSAS) to assist in determining the level of assistance to be awarded. PSAS has developed an application that all families need to complete to be considered for assistance. Your personal information will be held in strictest confidence at all times. If you have a child at more than one Archdiocesan School, you will only need to complete one application form. There is a $21 non-refundable processing fee for the application, payable to PSAS. Please note this is a one-dollar increase from last year.

The application is available at the school office and on line at www.psas.org. If you contact the school office we can provide a form to you. In addition to your completed application, you must include a copy of your 2009 federal income tax return or your 2008 federal income tax return with a copy of your 2009 W-2(s). The application needs to be completed on-line or via U.S. Mail, postmarked no later than March 15, 2010.

To assist you in filling out the application PSAS will have a call center available at
1-866-424-6443. The call center is open Monday-Friday from 11:00 am-7:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 8:00 am-noon. You are also welcome to call Lynn Ptacek or Cindy McCarthy at the school for assistance. (641-423-6638)

Award notification letters will be mailed on or before May 10, 2010. The complete timeline with specific information concerning the application is found below.

We strongly encourage every family to complete an application. The Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO coupled with our local tuition assistance program will be able to make Catholic Education affordable for all.

If you have questions about the assistance program, call the school. Call the PSAS call center at 1-866-424-6443 with specific questions about the application. This is a wonderful opportunity for qualifying families.

Sincerely,

Fr. Michael Schueller, Tony Adams, Jan Avery, Mark Neibauer and Lynn Ptacek

The Administrative Team

January      Applications available through the school and on-line at www.psas.org.
March 15    Completed applications must be post-marked or filed electronically.
May 10       Award notification letters sent to all families who applied.
May 30        Families receiving assistance send confirmation they are accepting/declining the assistance back to the school.
School Code:     When completing the application, our school/system code is 1298. The password online is arch1.

The Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO is funded by numerous generous donors from across the Archdiocese of Dubuque. All donors received an Iowa Tax Credit equal to 65% of their gift, with all donations qualifying for a federal income tax deduction for their 2009 returns. Donors interested in contributing to this program during 2010 can download a donor application at www.ourfaithsto.org. The goal for 2010 is to raise $3.73 million to be used in the 2011-12 school year.

Families are eligible for the Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO assistance if their taxable income for 2009 is at or below 300% of the poverty level. The poverty level is set by federal guidelines. The level of Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future STO assistance recommended by PSAS will be based upon family income, number of dependants, and the total K-12 tuition bill for the family.

**Family Size    ***Maximum Income    **Family Size    ***Maximum Income
     Two                    $43,710                             Five                         $77,370
     Three                 $54,930                             Six                           $88,590
     Four                   $66,150                            Seven                       $99,810

 

All families who want to be considered for tuition assistance must fill out the PSAS application

• Students wear Newman Sweatshirts.
• Students speak at masses to thank parents & parishes for support of Catholic Education.

 2.  5th Annual Newman Family Ice-Cream  Social 12:00 - 2:00PM

• Located in Elementary, Childcare & Preschool
• Culver's Custard will be served along with LaRue Coffee.

 Monday, February 1 - Celebrate Catholic Schools in Our Community

• Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank Food Drive - K-12 collect all week.
• Thank you notes written to local Scrip Vendors. (5-8 Religion)
• Newman Trivia Questions for HS throughout the week. 

Tuesday, February 2 - Celebrate Catholic Schools in Our Nation

• Red, White, and Blue Day (K-12) - Students can wear jeans & Patriotic shirt with a donation to Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank.
• Recognize military serving our country.  Names posted on various boards. 

Wednesday, February 3 - Celebrate Catholic Schools in Our Students & Volunteers

• Dress-up Day (K-12)
• Donuts & Juice - 8:30 AM K-5 in Elementary Cafeteria;  7:45 AM  6-12 in HS Cafeteria.
• All School Mass at 1:50PM in the HS  Gymnasium with recognition of teachers & volunteers with cookies and coffee.

Thursday, February 4 - Celebrate Catholic Schools in Our Vocations

• Students will work on projects that give back to the community.
• Recognize and honor Sisters and Priests by Making Valentines (5-8 Religion)
• Make placemats for area care centers. (K-5) 

Friday, February 5 - Celebrate Catholic Schools in Our Faculty and Staff.

• Prayer service in chapel for students and staff at 7:55 AM
• Early Dismissal at 11:30 AM (K-8 will have sack lunches; MS eat in rooms).
• Appreciation luncheon for faculty & staff at 11:45 AM.