Friday, October 2, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

On Sunday, we were excited to celebrate the academic achievement of students at our first ever virtual Academic Awards Program.  We applaud the 375 students who were recognized! 

We are so thankful for all of the parents who were able to attend our first virtual Mock Schedule Night on Wednesday.  We hope you enjoyed meeting your daughter’s teachers and learning about her classes.  Most importantly, we hope that you were able to witness what it means to be a part of the community of Assumption.  In our community, we are blessed with teachers who truly love what they do and it shows.  We are so grateful for our teachers who are working tirelessly to maintain academic excellence via the hybrid model at Assumption High School.   

We continue to monitor our number of COVID-19 positive cases associated with our school and we continue to report this information to our school community.  As of today, Assumption’s COVID-19 numbers are as follows:   

  • 2 new positive COVID-19 cases this week.  1 student and 1 staff member  
  • 16 quarantine cases this week.  15 students and 1 staff member  
  • 24 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of August 1, 2020 (20 students and 4 staff).      

These 2 new cases and 16 quarantines are all related to a single athletic team. Neither of these two positive individuals were on our campus while infected with the virus and so no school wide notification was needed.  As mentioned last week, all Kentucky schools will have new requirements for coronavirus reporting.  These new requirements include reporting all new COVID-19 positive cases as well as all new quarantine cases that are the result of attending school or school related activities.   These reporting requirements apply to both students and employees and this data is to be reported daily – for every day the school is in session.   The state department of health will continue to publish the total number of COVID-19 positive cases at schools throughout Kentucky.  All of this data is available via www.kycovid19.ky.gov.  In addition, the State has established new metrics for schools related to mode of instruction – specifically when a school would need to move from in person to all virtual instruction due to COVID-19. We are anticipating further guidance from the Archdiocese on when Catholic schools would need to move from their current schedule to fully virtual based on the spread of the coronavirus.  Once we receive those additional resources, we will share these directives with you.    

We reminded students, again, this week that one of the great benefits of our hybrid schedule is the flexibility it allows when a student needs to learn from home because she is not feeling well, needs to be quarantined, etc. We must, however, require that a parent/guardian notify the attendance office by 8:30 a.m. on the day of the temporary switch so we will know the student is not physically in the building as expected. Also, the reason for the temporary switch needs to be one for which an excused absence would be granted in “normal” times; since students would not normally be excused from school because they were tired because they worked late or stayed up late doing homework the night before or they simply overslept, we respectfully ask that parents/guardians not abuse our flexibility by requesting their daughters be allowed to attend virtually instead of in person for these kinds of reasons.  

CALENDAR NOTES FOR NEXT WEEK:  

  • DAILY SCHEDULE:  Next week we have an adjusted hybrid week schedule to accommodate the National ACT Testing Day:  
  • Monday, October 5 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort 
  • Tuesday, October 6  
    • National ACT:  All Juniors and Seniors on Campus– 8:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. 
    • LEAD & Learn Tuesday:  All Sophomores and Freshmen Virtual at Home  
  • Wednesday, October 7 – Day 2:  In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort 
  • Thursday, October 8 – Day 3: In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort 
  • Friday, October 9 – Day 4:  In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort 
  • CLUB ROLL-OUT WEEK:  Is your daughter looking for a way to get involved at Assumption?  Next week, we will begin the process of rolling out information about our LEAD Program and club offerings.  On LEAD& Learn Tuesday, homeroom time will be dedicated to freshmen and sophomores receiving information about all the clubs and organizations Assumption has to offer, including information about club membership and meeting dates.  Whether she is an animal lover or an adventure seeker, we have a club for your Rocket!  Juniors and seniors will receive information about how to connect to new clubs via email and class meetings later this month.  Introductory class meetings will be scheduled between October 7 and November 6.  Students will receive information in homeroom about how to access virtual club meetings via Teams in homeroom and additional details will be shared with parents in next week’s Rocket Report.   A list of the clubs offered is available in the STUDENT-PARENT HANDBOOK.  Any questions, please contact THERESA SCHUHMANN.  
  • NATIONAL ACT TESTING DAY: Next Tuesday, October 6, is National ACT Testing Day for our Juniors and Seniors, and we are excited to provide our students this testing opportunity. Testing will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 12:45 p.m. Please encourage your daughter to arrive early to school on Tuesday as this will be the first time all juniors and seniors will be arriving together and parking on campus.  She also needs to be well rested and well fed for her ACT.  She needs to bring a calculator as well as her Taking the ACT Test booklet if she wants to send these scores to colleges. Please encourage your daughter to spend some time on our test prep software, Albert, this weekend as well as reading this information:  Information for ACT Examinees  Ask your daughter to show you these sites!  A reminder of our safety protocols if your daughter has not been in the building:  Please wear a mask and screen yourself for any symptoms as listed in our Healthy at Assumption Handbook.  When you arrive, we will scan your temperature and guide you through the one-way hallways to your testing room where you will be seated 6 feet apart from other students.  You will also sanitize your desk and your hands as you enter the classroom and the room would have also been sanitized before you arrived.  Also, reach out to your counselor if you have any safety concerns or questions.   

FROM CAMPUS MINISTRY:   

  • ALL SOULS REMEMBRANCE:  The Catholic Church celebrates All Saints Day on Sunday, November 1 and All Souls Day on Monday, November 2.   In theology classes on November 2 and 3, students will have a prayer experience designed to honor family members of anyone in the AHS community who have died during the past year as well as the names of ALL Assumption alumnae who have passed on at any time.   We will ask students to share the names of any family members they may have lost this past year so they can be part of this special remembrance, and we invite you to do the same.  If you have lost a family member sometime since last November, please send this person’s full name to GAIL KING  by Monday, October 26. 
  • PARENT PRAYER: The Parent Prayer group meets each Tuesday morning from 8:30-9:00 a.m. in the chapel at St. Catherine’s Convent, which is right across Tyler Lane from AHS.  Parents should park in the AHS lot in a visitor space or in any open space.  Parking is no longer available at the McAuley Center itself, so parents will need to cross Tyler Lane from the AHS lot to enter the McAuley Center. If you are unable to attend but would like for them to pray for a particular intention, please email it to our campus minister at maryann.steutermann@ahsrockets.org. We hope you find comfort in knowing that we are praying for your intention even if you can’t be present. New Zoom option for parent prayer: If you are unable to join us in person, please consider joining us via Zoom on Tuesdays @ 8:30 a.m. by using this link and ID/Password:  Join Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75488139027?pwd=UDQrM3BDWlZRbElEbWdUL1FQRE4wZz09, Meeting ID: 754 8813 9027, Passcode: prayer. 

UPCOMING TESTING DAY INFORMATION: All students will be provided the opportunity for standardized testing in October.  There is no need to register your daughter for any of these tests in advance; they have been registered through Assumption, and each testing day will begin at 8:30 a.m.  Each student will test with her English class divided into cohort rooms.  Each student in the All-Virtual Pink Cohort has or will be contacted by her guidance counselor to let her know that she is welcome to come to campus for testing day as there are not any virtual standardized testing options available. Pink cohort students will be assigned to a room with the Maroon or Blue cohort.  All students received their room assignment from their English teacher on Monday and Tuesday, September 28 and 29.   

  • Wednesday, October 14 – PSAT for ALL current juniors, sophomores in H1, Adv and AP English, freshmen in Advanced English and any other sophomore and freshmen by request to her guidance counselor:  The PSAT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation scholarship program and gives students a baseline score that can be used for SAT prediction scores.  Dismissal from testing will be at noon.   
  • Wednesday, October 28: – PreACT for all current freshmen and sophomores: The PreACT provides each student and the school baseline data to help advise students in class choice and standardized testing.  Dismissal will be at noon.   

Save the date! VIRTUAL PARENT/TEACHER/STUDENT CONFERENCES:  Conferences are scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. in order to give students and parents the opportunity to meet with teachers about students’ progress. Conferences will take place virtually via Teams and more information about scheduling conferences with your daughter’s teachers will be sent in a special message next week. All parents are invited to attend, but parents of students with a D or F in in a class or classes are required to attend. If you have any questions that cannot be addressed at parent/teacher/student conferences, please contact your daughter’s dean – JUDY FIELDHOUSE (students whose last names begin with A-K) or THERESA SCHUHMANN  (students whose last names begin with L-Z) 

AP EXAM INVOICES: Students in AP classes who have registered to take AP Exams or submit AP Portfolios in May have been emailed invoices for the cost of the exams.  All fees are due at Assumption no later than Friday, November 6.  Please send a check made out to Assumption High School and be sure to include your daughter’s name and “AP FEE” on the check subject line.  If you have any questions about the invoice sent to your daughter to cover the cost of their AP Exams, please contact Kathy.fleischer@ahsrockets.org. 

COMPETITIVE SUMMER PROGRAMS:  Parents of juniors interested in applying for the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP):  All juniors were sent a narrated PowerPoint this week covering the program’s purpose and application process. Students were also invited to attend one of two virtual Q&A meetings on September 30 and October 1. These virtual meetings held on Teams provided students the chance to ask questions about the information covered in the PowerPoint.  Applications are due to the Guidance Office the week of November 9. Due dates are dependent on a student’s cohort. Maroon Cohort – due Tuesday, November 10 by 8:25 a.m.; Blue Cohort – due Thursday, November 12 by 8:25 a.m. Any student in the Pink Cohort (all virtual learners) need to contact kelly.kirwan@ahsrockets.org to schedule a drop-off by Thursday, November 12 by 8:25 a.m. Click on GSP POWERPOINT and TIMELINE to access the information shared with students. Please contact KELLY KIRWAN regarding any questions about the application.  

ROCKET PARENT NETWORK (RPN) NEWS:  The Rocket Parent Network recommends viewing the following webinar from Operation Parent: How is Vaping Affecting Teens, Especially During Covid? LINK TO WEBINAR.  For other articles and webinars recommended by RPN, please visit: https://www.ahsrockets.org/parents/current-parents/get-involved/rocket-parent-network/ 

NOTE FROM ATHLETICS – Winter Sports Tryouts:  The KHSAA recently released information about winter sports seasons. They have pushed back the start of basketball until October 26 and swimming and diving until November 3. Please click this link Winter Sports Tryout Information for more information on basketball and swim and dive. Archery will begin open shoots around October 13. We will supply more information on archery as it becomes available. Also, a current, complete physical is required to try out and participate in any Assumption sport. Documentation can be found here: KHSAA Sports Physical. Please note: two parent and two student signatures are required on this form in order for it to be considered complete.  In addition, an athletic fee of $200 is required for participation.  If you have questions regarding the physical, please contact Christy Hulsewede at (502) 271-2555 or Christy.Hulsewede@ahsrockets.org 

FUTURE ROCKETS:  With a successful return to school utilizing our Healthy at Assumption plan, we are excited to offer a variety of virtual and in-person events for our future Rockets and their families. This includes personalized tours, a Night at the Drive-In, an app to hear about AHS straight from our students, Open House, and more! If you know or have a future Rocket in your life, be sure to check out the various opportunities for her to get to know AHS on our website: PROSPECTIVE STUDENT AND PARENT EVENTS 

NOMINATE A DESERVING AHS FACULTY OR STAFF MEMBER FOR THE ROSE AWARD:   

The Rose Award is a $5,000 grant endowed by an anonymous donor to recognize an Assumption employee who serves as a role model and is a positive influence in our community. Alums, current parents, past parents, students, faculty and staff are invited to nominate a current administrator, faculty, or staff member who has made a significant difference in their lives. Past winners are: Katie Caswell Hughbanks, Cindi Baughman, Kelly Kirwan, Kathy Fleischer, Dawn Deweese, Angela Lincoln, Barry Hayworth, Jackie Metry, Doug Sumey, Mary Margaret Ralph, Judi Erskine, and James Sutherland. These individuals cannot win again. Nominations are due by Friday, October 23 and must include a description (two paragraph minimum) supporting your nomination. The award will be presented at the Thanksgiving Celebration on Tuesday, November 18. If chosen, your nomination submission may be read at the prayer service.  Click here to submit with your nomination:  https://assumption.wufoo.com/forms/rose-award-nominations/ 

MAIN OFFICE AVAILABILITY:  To adhere to state mandates in response to COVID-19 and to continue to keep our entire community safe and healthy, we are continuing to recommend that parents email or mail any school-related items instead of dropping them off at school.   Assumption’s Main Office is open from 7:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.  In line with Assumption’s Re-opening and Learning Plan, visitors to the school will continue to be limited.  Any visitor who has an appointment requiring them to come into the building should come to the Tyler Lane door, ring the buzzer, and will be met there.  Visitors must wear a mask, undergo a temperature scan, and complete a health screening before entering the building.  Please feel free to contact Amy Schelb at 502-458-9551, option 0, or email at amy.schelb@ahsrockets.org for questions regarding the above or if you need assistance during this time.   

Gratefully, 

Martha Tedesco 

Principal