Friday, October 9, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

We were thrilled that 448 students which is 95% of our juniors and seniors were able to take advantage of the National ACT test on Tuesday.  These students were able to take this test in their home school in small cohorts with Assumption teachers and can use these scores for college admission and scholarship consideration.  Additionally, juniors will have a baseline score that can be used for goal setting and will have the opportunity to test again at Assumption in the spring. 

As we have done now for the past several weeks, 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 yesterday, Assumption’s COVID-19 numbers for this week are:   

  • No new positive COVID-19 cases this week.    
  • No new quarantine cases this week.    
  • 24 total positive COVID-19 cases as reported to our local department of health as of August 1, 2020 (20 students and 4 staff).      

It’s important to note that there have been no known transmissions of COVID here at AHS.   

As part of our Student Return to School under COVID-19 policy,  all students and their families are asked to comply with Kentucky’s travel advisory and refrain from visiting those states with a 15% or more positivity rate at any time during the school year.  Currently, those states include: South Dakota, Idaho, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas.  In addition to those states listed above, Florida was recently added due to their removal of public health restrictions which in turn poses a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 while visiting the state.  Therefore, Kentucky recommends a 14-day self-quarantine after travel to Florida. We recognize that this change may impact fall break plans.  If you do choose to travel to Florida over fall break, your daughter can do virtual learning from home while self-quarantining so she won’t miss school or suffer any loss in learning.    

Please note that AHS has instructed faculty and staff that they may not travel to any of these destinations over fall break since employee quarantines would impact our ability to continue to offer in person instruction under our current hybrid model.  For more information on the State’s travel advisory, click here.   We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding with this recent change.   

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.  The Archdiocese of Louisville has indicated that they view these metrics from the State as advisory and will continue to monitor the situation within our schools and review with our local department of health.      

Assumption is also monitoring the situation closely and will make a decision on when we would need to move from our hybrid to our fully virtual model.  It’s important to note that while the State is focused on the spread of COVID in our state and county, as it should be, (what is occurring outside our building), AHS is also closely monitoring what is occurring inside our building.  Here are the main factors that AHS will consider in making a determination to move to our fully virtual mode of instruction in addition to metrics established by the State:  

  • Community positivity rate  
  • Community daily incidence rate  
  • Cases within the classroom/Number of classrooms with cases  
  • Incidence within the entire school  
  • Overall absentee rate/ Other illnesses that may be contributing to absenteeism  
  • Additional factors:  
  • Capacity to complete internal contact tracing  
  • Ability to provide staffing to maintain a safe school en vironment   
  • Ability to meet increased facility cleaning measures  

Since this is such a dynamic and ever-changing situation all the factors listed above are being monitored.  While some of these factors play a greater and some a lesser role, all will be considered in our decision making regarding a change in our mode of instruction.  Please be assured that Assumption is prepared to move to our fully virtual model at a moment’s notice if we feel it’s necessary to protect our school community.  

CALENDAR NOTES FOR NEXT WEEK:  

  • DAILY SCHEDULE:  Next week we have an adjusted schedule to allow each cohort an in-person day prior to National Testing Day and Fall Break:  
  • Monday, October 12 – Day 1: In-Person – Maroon Cohort, Virtual at Home – Blue Cohort 
  • Tuesday, October 13 – Day 4:  In-Person – Blue Cohort, Virtual at Home – Maroon Cohort 
  • Wednesday, October 14 –  
    • National PSAT:  All juniors, sophomores in Honors 1, Advanced and AP English, freshmen in Advanced English and any other sophomore and freshman by request to her guidance counselor. 
    • LEAD & Learn:  All sophomores and freshmen not taking the PSAT – Virtual at Home – Independent learning time 
    • Seniors:  Seniors are excused from attending school on Testing Day as a senior privilege; they are encouraged to use this day for virtual college visits. 
  • Thursday, October 15 – Monday, October 19:  Fall Break – No School 
  • VIRTUAL PARENT/TEACHER/STUDENT CONFERENCES:  A special message about conferences was emailed on Wednesday.  We are looking forward to our upcoming Virtual Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences on Tuesday, October 13, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. These conferences are designed to give students and parents the opportunity to meet with teachers about students’ progress. Parents of a student with a D or F in a class are required to sign up to meet with the teacher of that class.  All parents are welcome to request a conference with a teacher.  We will be using SignUp.com to make appointment scheduling a simple process for both you and for teachers. Here’s how it works in 3 easy steps: 
  1. Click this link to see our SignUps on SignUp.com: https://signup.com/go/ahsconferences 
  2. Review the SignUps listed.  Choose the teacher(s) you would like to meet with and the time you would like.  
  3. Sign up! It’s easy – you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.  

Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. Sign-ups for conferences will close at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13. Teachers will email a Teams meeting appointment invite to the parent who signs up for the conference. If you have any questions in regard to 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) 

  • NATIONAL PSAT TESTING DAY: Wednesday, October 14 – PSAT for ALL current juniors, sophomores in H1, Adv and AP English, freshmen in Advanced English, and any other sophomore and freshman 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.  Testing will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at noon.  Please have your daughter arrive in plenty of time to get to her testing room by 8:25 and also make sure she is well rested and well fed for her PSAT.  She needs to bring a calculator and her favorite #2 pencil.  Please encourage your daughter to spend some time on our test prep software, Albert, this weekend as well as The Official College Board site:  PSAT Practice Test. Ask your daughter to show you these sites!  A reminder of our safety protocols if your daughter has not been in the building:  Your daughter must wear a mask and screen herself for any symptoms as listed in our Healthy at Assumption Handbook.  Upon arrival, please drop her off at the CAC entrance where we will scan her temperature and guide her through the one-way hallways to her testing room where she will be seated six feet apart from other students.  She will also sanitize her desk and her hands as she enters the classroom, and the room will have also been sanitized as well before her arrival.  Also, reach out to your daughter’s counselor if you have any safety concerns or questions.  
  • FALL BREAK:  Thursday, October 15 – Monday, October 19 – On our fall break holidays, school will not be in session.  Classes will resume on Tuesday, October 2O.  

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. 

REMINDER FROM THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE: There seems to be some confusion about what needs to happen when a student needs to leave school/class for an appointment or other activity, especially when the student is attending virtually. All requests for absences and early dismissals must come from a parent and go through the Attendance Office in order for approval to be given. Students cannot just email their teachers about leaving early/missing class; while we do appreciate that the girls are letting their teachers know, we have to receive a request from a parent/guardian for legal and safety reasons. Parents are asked to send requests for early dismissals/excused absences to Mrs. King in the Attendance Office at attendance@ahsrockets.org. Mrs. King will respond to the parent and copy the student on the email; the student should then forward that email to her teacher and let the teacher know she will be leaving early from class (or missing the whole class, as appropriate) when she comes into the classroom or joins the class via Teams. Thanks for your help in making sure your daughter follows our “pandemic protocol” for an early dismissal/excused absence request. 

CLUB ROLL-OUT WEEK UPDATE:  Is your daughter looking for a way to get involved at Assumption?  This week, we were excited to share information with our students about how to engage at Assumption through extracurricular activities this school year.  On LEAD & Learn Tuesday, freshmen and sophomores learned more about our LEAD Program which is designed to promote student growth of skills in leadership, engagement, advocacy, and decision-making.  The information that Mrs. Schuhmann shared with students can be viewed in this Introduction to the LEAD Program and Club Opportunities. To aid in their ability to engage, students then spent time reviewing our Club Descriptions for Clubs Available in the 2020-2021 School Year and then reviewed a video about how to join a club and attend meetings.  This information is available for your review in this video How to Join a Club Meeting 2020 with specific instructions beginning at the 2:00 mark.  Again this year, club meeting dates and times will be available on the main Assumption calendar.  Junior and seniors were provided this information via email and will receive follow-up in class meetings during our next LEAD & Learn Wednesday on October 28.  Any questions, please contact THERESA SCHUHMANN.  

We CAN Do It!:  We CAN Do It!, formerly known as Canstruction, is happening right now! Canstruction is typically one of the biggest events in our Assumption community.  Each AHS family usually collects as many cans as possible so that Dare to Care can feed Louisville’s hungry families.  However, things look a little different this year due to the coronavirus. This year, we will collect only cash or checks (made out to Dare to Care).  Dare to Care is especially in need of donations this year because of the pandemic.  As an example, they distributed 600,000 more pounds of food in March 2020 than in March 2019…and that’s just one month! Additionally, as is tradition, this will be a family competition. Families will compete to raise the most money AND create the most fun and unique collection basket/bucket. Since Dare to Care can provide three meals with a donation of just $1, we have set our goal in terms of “meals.”  If we raise enough to provide 20,000 meals by October 23, everyone will be able to wear a costume on her assigned cohort date surrounding Halloween (Oct. 27 or 30).  Additionally, if we reach 25,000 meals by October 23, then everyone will also get to wear spirit wear for a full week in November! We are looking forward to having the Assumption community help the Louisville community through our partnership with Dare to Care! 

INFORMATION FOR OUR HEARING–IMPAIRED PARENTS: We want to make sure that all of our parent programming is accessible to AHS parents.  If you need assistance with hearing impaired/ASL services, please contact your daughter’s counselor:  Class of 2021- Kristin Walsh , Class of 2022- Dawn Deweese , Class of 2023- Jennifer Ruckriegel , Class of 2024- Abby Asfahl.  

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 her 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) needs 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.  

ROSE THEATRE PRODUCTION:  Rose Theatre Company is planning an outdoor production of Spoon River Project based on the work of Edgar Lee Masters. The play, which is set in a cemetery, is scheduled to take place at 7:00 p.m. on October 30, October 31, November 6, and November 7. Look for more details soon about our outdoor location and how to get tickets! 

ROCKET PARENT NETWORK (RPN) NEWS:  Hello, parents!  My name is Amanda Mossholder and my daughter, Emma, is a junior at Assumption this year.  I am a member of the Rocket Parent Network, and I would like to invite you to get involved in this organization during your daughter’s years at AHS.  Our mission is to support and advocate for the health and well-being of our daughters by partnering with Assumption families and the leaders and staff of Assumption High School.  The RPN provides education and resources regarding healthy lifestyle choices.  On the RPN website, you may join RPN and you will also find resources pertaining to drug and alcohol prevention, emerging drug trends, positive body image, self-esteem, etc.  In addition, RPN families receive a special designation in our annual Parent/Student Directory and members receive their directory for free in their first year of membership.  The money we raise throughout the year provides scholarships to two rising seniors.  Previous events, such as our used uniform sale and Mother/Daughter Bunco, will be reimagined for this year.     

  • UPCOMING ZOOM EVENT – Mental Health and Teens During the Pandemic: In addition to inviting you to join RPN and utilize our website’s library of resources, we want to invite all parents to attend a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m. Our guest speaker for this meeting will be local therapist, Eric Baker, who will present “Mental Health and Teens During the Pandemic.”  We hope that you will join this informative conversation with Eric Baker.  A Zoom link will be emailed to all parents the week of the program.    

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 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 Reopening 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